


Child Soldier

by orphan_account



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: 1980s, Blood, Child Soldier, Control, Death, Drug Use, Guns, Jack the Ripper - Freeform, Liberia, Metal Gear - Freeform, Raiden - Freeform, Solidus, War, War zones, a dark past, patriots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-22 18:57:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4846640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From child, to a puppet of the patriots, to a war-torn cyborg ninja, to a cyborg who carves his own path to seek justice. After holding it in for so long, Raiden finally explains to a certain someone about the very beginning of his past- and how Jack the Ripper came to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Refreshing Memory

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first ever fanfiction! I was so in love with Raiden's character, that I just had to make a fan story about his past since I couldn't find one. Anywho, some information is true and is cannon and others are not. I hope you enjoy and finally understand the history of "Jack the Ripper".
> 
> All Metal Gear characters belong to their rightful owners, not to me.

"Daddy, look!"

That was the sound of John, Raiden's son. They were both in central park, New York, for vacation after Raiden defeated the Senator. It was hard for him to not be constantly picked around or having to defend himself against World Marshall, but it appeared that the attacks stopped more frequently until there was none anymore.

Whether he was safe or not, the terrorists figured out his family's  whereabouts, so they had to take a "vacation" elsewhere. Raiden seized the chance and convinced Rose that they should go to New York, even though the family was looking for a more less populated area. Raiden picked it because it held so many good memories-

 

the  _good memories._

 

So now Raiden and his son are in Central Park, a couple of blocks away from their apartment, while Rose was in there taking emergency  cooking class.

John has  his little fake sword, as he said that he wanted to become just like his father someday... Which bothered Raiden for a second. Raiden never had a good life. He was a child soldier, he was always tricked, and he is a cyborg now. Those were the last things Raiden wanted John to have. He would go through all of that again if it meant John was going to live a happy life.

John took most of his personality from his father. He loved swords, he loved action... and he hated his mom's  cooking. Raiden also brought his HF blade-sheathed- so he can teach his son how to sword fight. He had a cyborg suit with artificial skin, and it was different from before. His lines didn't show like on the last body, and he looked almost human. At least it was easier to walk around in public.

He wore  A long  sleeved  black  t-shirt  and  long, blue jeans. It was autumn, but the cold never bothered him. The outfit was just to conceal his cyborg body. He looked fairly normal- compared to last time.

"Dad, are you watching me?" John cried out. He had his wooden sword in his hand, attacking  a tree. Although his moves were clumsy, Raiden still loved to see his son trying to be a swordsman. 

"Good job, John,"Raiden  praised.

 This filled the boy with pride. He didn't see his father a lot, yet he was so happy when he did. Sure, it was _a bit_   awkward  at times, seeing a man who his mom calls his father. But it is all worth it. He still wonders why his dad doesn't sleep with his mom. Could they by seperating? No, not like this. He knew enough about his parents and that they wouldn't do that. He continued to practice his attacks on the tree, trying to impress his father even more.

Raiden took in the scenery. It was beautiful. The wind had a gentle breeze and it was a chill ish warm wheather. It was truly refreshing, and almost made him forget he was a cyborg. He relaxed against the park bench while observing his son. But then, a wave of wonder flooded in his mind. What job will he get, since he left Maverick? Who will pay for his cybernetic parts? John still had to go to school. How long until they can go back home? All of these questions was slowly ruining his day, until... "

 

Even when you are cyborg, it is so easy to tell how your feeling, kid."

 

Raiden passed for a second. The low voice, a little grumble too. Could it be...? No...  _he died._

 

He scanned the area around him to make sure it wasn't any terrorist... and then he saw  _him._ A man, had brown hair and a stubble and a cigarette  in his mouth, was walking towards Raiden. Raiden was shocked- no... _confused, surprised, blown away._  Pretty much anything that meant to be caught off gaurd. He was leaning on the edge of the bench slowly away from the walking man, as if he was hallucinating. Was he hallucinating? The only illusions he had was about his past only, not about a... _living legend._

"I-i-is it really you... Snake?" Raiden asked the man.

The man simply took the cigarette  in his mouth and smoked it. 

_Breathing in.._

_Breathing out_

_Breathing in..._

_Breathing out_

_The cycle abruptly  ended after the man coughed._

Raiden was staring at the man in disbelief. Could it really be him? "Snake," he addressed with more certainty, "is that really you?"

The man stopped and looked at the cyborg for a moment. He breathed the smoke once more and replied, "Would I be standing here if I wasn't, kid?" He tried to say something else, for that wasn't enough proof, by looking at Raiden's face. "Or you can just call me Iriquois  Pliskin."

Raiden froze. Only the real Solid Snake would have said that. He continued to stare at the man in disbelief, wondering he he lived.

 

But it was true, Solid Snake was there with Raiden.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still continuing this since I want to write about his past, but if you want something else added into the story, you are more than welcome to make suggestions! ^^  
> Anywho, this is my first fanfiction that I have wrote, EVER., so spare me! XD  
> Thank you for reading and I hope you have a nice day! :3


	2. Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is short guys. I am extremely tire and I only half asleap when writing this. I will see if I can release the next chapter later this day.
> 
> There will be spelling and grammer errors! (cause I'm on my tablet)

"Snake? How is that possible? You should have died!" Although Raiden was surprised to see the legend himself, it just didn't  add up on he was still alive. He quickly looked at John to make sure he was still over by the tree, then looked back at Snake. The man sat next to him on the bench, still smoking the cigarette.

"You thought I was dead after the tanker incident. So what's so different about me now?" Snake asked as if coming back to life a was normal. He had a calm expresson, compare to Raiden, who was creeped out.

"But you faked your death! Fourth years ago, you were  _dying. I_ saw it with my own eyes!"Raiden exclaimed.

"Kid, have you heard of nanomachines?" Snake asked sarcastically. Raiden made a confused look. "Yeah, so what?" He asked, not seeing where Snake was heading.

"Before I was about to die, I was taken away by some hospital crew or something. They told Otacon and Sunny that I was dead while I was cared for. They put the nanomachines in my body so it can ward off what was killing me. I was under captivity for years, but it wasn't so bad. They made me look younger, fed me, watered me, you know, the basic needs. And," He paused to inhale the cigarette, then breathed out," They got me all the cigarettes I ever wanted." That last part ended with a triumph of a chuckle.

"So Otacon and Sunny never knew?" Raiden asked. "Why?"

Snake attempted  to make a impression of the younger Raiden's voice when he proposed to Rose. "It is for your ears, only." He sounded pretty accurate, until he coughed.

Clearly, Raiden was embarassed. His cheeks flushed red and and he grumbled in anger. Snake saw Raiden and tried to change the subject. "So, uh... where's your kid?" He asked.

Raiden thought it was random for him to have asked to see his son, but he did it anyway. He pointed to where the boy in the dark blue jacket and pants were. He was stileaning attacking the tree, giving it marks from the wooden sword.

"John, come here, please!" He called out to the boy, who picked up his sword and ran towards  his dad. He reached his father and hugged his leg. 

"Cute kid you got there," Snake commented. John looked at Snake, and when he did, he was even more excited.

'"Wow! Are you Solid Snake? My daddy's told me a lot about you. Like how you saved him a bunch of times." Raiden blushed even more after John had said that. Now Solid Snake would think of him as a wierdo.

Expecting a taunting laugh by Snake, he instead received a heartwarming chuckle. Snake placed his hand on John's shoulder and gave him a warm smile.

"But after that, your dad saved me a ton of times too,so we're even. You should be lucky to have a father like Raiden. He has sacrificed many things to make things right, and would probably do it all again if it meant saving you." Raiden was touched by that. Now his son will look up to him if he hadn't before.. John's heart was swelled by pride, that his father, is a hero.

He hugged his father's legs so tight that Raiden had to make sure that the artificial skin wasn't ruined. He told john to continue playing while he and snake talked.

"What happened when you were a kid?"

Well, that was random. Raiden was caught completely off gaurd to Snake's  question.  It was also a topic he hated talking about.

"Huh?where did that come from?"

"Well, I noticed how you stare at your son as if he was, a weapon."

"Well... I... uh..."

"Come on, kid. What happened? You can tell me, I won't judge."

Raiden hated being pushed like this, but he surrendered. He sighed and rubbed his temples together. Oh boy, this was going to get long.

"Fine, but you will not tell anyone, NO ONE."

"Got it."

Raiden took a deep breath, then began the story, of his early days as a jack the Ripper.


	3. Begining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weird spelling guys, I was EXTREMELY tired. It felt so weird dozing off while writing in the middle of the chapter. But I will promise to make it more interesting this time^^
> 
> Please note that I am doing this only my tablet, so mistakes will appear.

_Death. All around him was death._  

Jack was born on a rainy day in 1980 in America from his parents, who worked as the African Child Support members. His parents took him with them to Liberia to an orphanage filled with orphan African children no younger than 1 years old, and no older than 14 years. He was staying at a small house with one of the orphanage caretakers while his parents went out to do their job and come back home with Jack overjoyed to see his loving mother and father again. Even though he was 2 years old, he traveled around Africa a lot. He sometimes got to visit the orphanage that his parents were working in and meet some of the children, who looked at him as if he was a pale monster. This was before all of the killing, slaughter, gunpoint... and  _him._

1983

Jack was playing a game with the caretaker. It was more like a drum with beads on the side colored with an interesting pattern. He loved to bang on the drum while the lady sang a traditional song. After that, the caretaker taught Jack how to count to 3 and how to say his own name.

"One, _two..._ seven!" Jack answered. He laughed loudly, finding this wildly funny. He would get it right most of the time, and purposely mess up from time to time to entertain himself. He also practiced pronouncing his name, which was easy enoigh. "J...J-J Ja-Jack, Jack! I am Jack!" He never found it funny, especially when the Liberian lady laughed when he said his name. They played games all day, which was spectacular for Jack... but up until his parents didn't show up.

It was nightfall, and usually, this came  _after_ his parents came home. He couldn't speak much, so he couldn't ask the lady where his parents were. But he didn't have to, because she was thinking the same thing. Begining to worry, she picked up the phone and dialed the orphanage.

_No one answered..._

She tried to call again -no,  _many_ times. Nothing picked up. That was when she remembered:

_He was coming. He probably got here already._

Fearing the worst, she quickly put all of the toys and items away and locked all of the windows. She grabbed her things and open the door, ready to leave. She went towards Jack's face and told him, "Listen to me, Jack. Stay inside this house, and don't make one sound." Trying to make sure that she won't make him panic, she concluded, " We're playing a game of hide and seek. You stay in this house and don't come out, or you don't get a surprise."

 _A surprise,_ Jack thought. He loved surprises.

After the lady left, she turned off the lights and lock the door. Jack sat quietly in the dark... alone.

\------------------------------------------------------

 

He forgot how long it has been. A minute? Five? Ten? How about 20? He began to worry, _the dark was scary, especially  at night._ Jack began to cry. He wanted his parents. He wanted the lady. He wanted comfort. He didnt  want  to  play  the game anymore. He wanted to play a different game. He was crying, then sobbing. He hated the feeling of being alone, despised it. His crying fit immediately halted after he heard a piercing scream. He kept silent, afraid that he would give away his position. The scream came closer to his house, followed by a lot of footsteps.  The screamer stopped once it reached the door. Jack heard words being mumbling through the sobbing of the person who screamed.

 _Don't_ hurt..... _jack.... Solidu--_

_BANG!_

Jack heard a thud the followed from the bang. He scooted farther from the door, keeping quiet. After a couple of moments, he heard a man's voice, then the sound of the door being kicked. Jack flinched every time the door was kicked, closer to screaming every time the kick grew louder. Eventually, the door busted down, allowing a troop of soldiers in war uniform to raid in.  One of the troops came across Jack and announced, "Sir! I have sighted a kid! No more than three years of age!"

Jack saw a muscular man walk in with hands folded behind his back, walking slowly in the house. He looked down at Jack, giving him a curious look. He bent down towards Jack. "Where are your parents, Kid?"

Jack studied the man. He had a strong look with brown hair and beard. He had piercing green eyes, like that of a snake. It was hard to tell if this man he was encountering was a threat or not. But he can't speak well, so this may be a problem.

"What's your name?" The man asked a different question this time, giving him a long stare. Jack knew this one, it was  _easy_ to remember his name.

"Jack," he replied. "I am Jack." He smiled at the man, hoping to be rewarded for saying his name. But the man just chuckled and  pulled out a knife from his pocket. The knife glinted in the darkness with the outside light shining in. He had never seen it before, it looked dangerous. His innocent blue eyes followed the movement of the knife as the man waved it from side to side slowly.

"Well, well, well. It looks like we have a new soldier in our hands," he announced towards his troops, before handing the knife to Jack -without letting him grab it.

"Not so fast, kid. You got some training to do before you get that." The man picked up Jack and carried him out the door. Jack wondered if he would ever see his parents again. And what hapened to the lady? His thoughts were interrupted by the man who was carrying him.

"The name's George Sears, son. And how would you like to fight in a war?"


	4. The Program

It hasn't been long since Jack was "adopted" by George Sears-and it wasn't fun either. 

Jack was placed inside a military tent that was used for teaching soldiers. It was going occupied for some time since George would train his "son" about the basics.

For the first week he was taught the rules and how to follow orders. He was also taught how to speak, which took two weeks before he had drugs injected into him that made his brain progress faster. After a month, he could say full sentences- and he was  _quite_ the chatter. He mostly kept on talking about what he was going to do when fighting and how he wants to meet the other  kids.  Then, a thought came to him, so he asked, "George? Where is my mommy and daddy?" It had been a while since he saw his parents and the lady. The last thing he remembered was playing the scary hide-and-seek game.

George knew he was going to ask that, and fortunately  for him, he had a plan. If he lied and said that the enemy killed his parents, then Jack could train and mill the enemy out of revenge. It was a clever plan, now he just needs to set it in motion...

"Jack, my boy, my your parents... They were killed. Killed by the enemy." He informed solemnly. He place his stone hard hands onto Jack's fragile, tiny shoulder. His green eyes showed sadness, but underneath, hid cunning. Jack's eyes began to water, making his deep blue colored eyes she'd tears. He sniffled, then quietly mufiled out, "Why? Why did they do that? That was mean... really mean."

George patted the boy's shoulder, feeling the tiniest bit of sympathy. He brought Jack's face close to his and stared. His expression switched from solemn to stern and serious. "Listen, son," he began, "This world is a cruel place, and bad things _will_  happen.Your parents won't die in vain, I can garuntee you that. That is why you must become strong and fight... and have your revenge on the ones who killed your parents." He gave him and encouraging smile, and ruffled his white hair, which looked blonde underneath the light inside the tent. 

Jack stopped sniffling and nodded his head in agreement, vowing himself that he will kill anyone who killed his mom and dad. His deep blue eyes that once held sorrow, filled with an light blue glow, showing ambition with a spark of rage. Hodge harder, now understanding what he had to do. "I will become the best soldier out there, and kill anyone who is in my way to avenge my parent's death!" He backed a few steps and saluted at George. 

 _Cute, he is gonna do just fine,_ George thought to himself. He smirked at the child, which turned to a grin of accomplishment. He had got the kid to join him, without forcing him to, too easy! George knew that this one was going to be his favorite out of all the rest...

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

"But Solidus really killed your parents, right?" Snake questioned with him sitting on the edge of the bench. This story was  _good._ _  
_

Raiden had a stressed look on his face. He hated telling stories, especially about him. He kept on staring at the sky, because it was the only thing that kept him at peace. If he looked at the park, he would see people- and his son. It would have made him uncomfortable, possibly snap. But he had to tell Snake his story, he owed him and everyone else one.

"Yeah, but I found out way too late.  I was brainwashed because I thought it was the right thing to do. For my parents, the kids, and the lady who cared for me. But all that I was doing was being manipulated, like a puppet."

"Raiden," Snake grumbled. He hated it when Raiden was feeling sorry for himself. "You were not to blame. Because of what Solidus told you, you survived. You would died if you had no motivation."

Raiden snapped. "What do you mean, I survived? Of course I did! I thrived on it! I was a killer, a terrorist! I killed innocent people! How is that a good thing? I should have..." He paused, taking a deep breath and tilted his head in sorrow, "...I should died, with my family. It would have been better...for all of us... for me."

Snake shook his head in disappointment. "Raiden, don't say that. Without you, Sunny, Olga, the Patriots, and all of the people you saved would have been back the way they were before- suffering. Your son would never have been alive, and Rose would have never had met you. America would probably vote for Armstrong and we would all die, the end. Yes, you have suffered. Went through hell. But that doesn't mean that people who you saved aren't grateful. That you stood up for something that no one else could."

Raiden looked at Snake. He was right. All this time, he thought that he was ruining people's lives, when in reality... he was  _saving_ them. He made a grateful look at Snake, making his dull, gray eyes into a blue color. He sat up strait again, feeling relieved. That was what he admired about Snake. He would always help Raiden out, no matter what the situation.

"Now continue the story, kid." Snake said with excitement, almost killing the moment.

 


	5. Rebirth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for using all of your attention span to read my story^^ I will add chapters each day and when the time is right I will see when it should end.
> 
> Also, thank you to whoever gave that 1 kudos! 
> 
> In case if your confused:  
> George Sears= Solidus Snake/Solidus  
> Raiden= Jack

_Two years... It has been two whole years._

Today was Jack's birthday, and he was turning five years old. Actually, his  _real_ birthday is unknown to Solidus, so he made the day he adopted him to be his birthday. During the past two years, Jack was taught the good and bad of humanity. He learned who the enemy was, who  _killed_ his parents, which fueled Jack's desire to learn and fight. He was given more drugs to improve his focusing. He learned the alphated, numbers, grammer, and history from a fellow soldier who taught the troops. His lessons would begin after breakfast, after lunch, then after dinner. Of course, he had time to take small breaks.

"Happy birthday, Jackie boy!" Solidus cheered as he marched inside the tent, interrupting the afternoon lessons. Jack abandoned his notes immediately as if finding another way to escape the boredom and ran towards George. He hugged his leg tightly and stepped backwards to see what Solidus got him. Jack was spoiled. He always got toy trucks and toy soldiers to play with every holiday or his birthday. He opened his hands and held them out, as if to expect something. His blue eyes gleamed with excitement. He almost looked as if his parents were still with him.

Solidus ruffled the boy's haired playfully while chuckling half-heartedly.  _It's time for this kid to grow up. No more playing games, no more acting,_ Solidus thought to himself. It was true, Jack had seemed to _forget_ about his parents and didn't take living on the battlefield seriously. He wasn't no babysitter, he was supposed to make Jack a killing machine. "Look at you, boy," he began, while lighting a cigar, "you have become spoiled. So spoiled that you have forgotten that you are living on a battlefield. Have you forgotten your parents? What will they say if they saw their son playing games when he should have avenged them?"

Jack put his hands away, giving a sad look. George was right, he was being selfish, spoiled. What would his parents think? He should be training, not playing with,  _stupid_ toys. He stood up straight and faced his godfather straight in the eyes, matching his alert expression with Solidus's smoke-my-cigar one. "I'm sorry, sir. That was very selfish of me. I will never do it again."

Solidus gave an evil smile inside. Maybe all of his acting as a good godfather wasn't such a waste at all. Maybe, Jack was ready to begin the training...

"Actually," He began, taking a puff from the cigar as he walked around the room inside the large tent, "It's about time you start training. For your birthday, I will take you out towards a small building where we keep the other kids. They're about the same age as you, and some are older. You will be training with them to form your Small Boy Unit and complete various tasks. But I must warn you... you will be trained until you become  _advanced_ , so you could die if you don't succeed." He stopped once he reached in front of the flap of the tent, reaching out his hand to Jack motioning him to come along. 

Jack hesitated. He could... die? What kind of training was this? He  began to  think  that  this wasn't  such  a  good idea after all. But he remembered: This was to avenge his parents. He quickly got over the fear of joined and took Solidus's hand, being carried to a jeep.

 

The jeep traveled to sa small building, while passing sand, trees, and dry grass. The heat was intense, especially  at this hour of the day. Once they reached at their location, they walked inside the building. Jack and Solidus walked down a narrow hallway, passing may empty rooms and dark areas. Jack thought that this place was  _creepy._ He stuck close to Solidus, making the soldier chuckle. "Afraid of the dark, boy? Well, your going to get used to it in no time."

Once they finally reached a room full of African children on beds, Solidus called out, "Attention, men!" All of of the children immediately stopped what they were doing and stood front in center in line, saluting their commander. They all stood silent, waiting for an order. Solidus pulled Jack from behind  him and placed him in front of the saluting boys.

"I'd like you to welcome your new commrad, Jack. His parents were killed by an enemy force and so I brought him here to avenge their deaths."

All of the boy's looked at Jack with the same expressions, not interested. Unsatisfied. Jack felt uneasy and as if the eyes from the children were lazers. Solidus patted Jack's back and left the room, leaving him alone with the other children. The kids eased themselves and returned to what they were doing. Some of the kids gave him nasty looks, while others snickered.

Jack felt really uncomfortable, and he regretted what he was thinking earlier.

 


	6. Reform

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the really short chapters, I was doing them all on my tablet! XD  
> But now that I am using a computer, I'll try my best to extend them a bit for y'all.
> 
> Anywho, thank you to those who read the previous chapters and to those who gave Kudos on it! <3

Jack was standing in the corner, frightened, as if he was surrounded by monsters and demons. They were so different from him. They were all... darker. He had seen people like them before, but having so much... it was unsettling. He felt as if he stood out, didn't belong. He felt like a needle in a hay stack, the outlier. He hated the feeling of not fitting in, standing _out._ He wanted to curl into a little ball... he wanted to be concealed in the  _dark_  once more. He wouldn't have minded it- but if it kept him away from  _here_ , he would take it.

He studied the area he was in, just like what Solidus taught him: Always analyze the area that you are unfamiliar with, for it could help with future needs. The room wasn't that small, actually. It was just  _smaller_ than the tent he was in. The room held 12 beds, each on two sides. Right in front of the beds lie the chests that were filled with whatever the boy's needed or came across on their field duties. The sheets were all a dull green and the pillows were a dirty white. The floor was all dirty and partialy covered in grass and straw. The room emitted very little light, for there was only one small window located at the far right corner, opposite from Jack. This place want scary... it was  _hell._

One of the boy's had enough interest to walk up to him. He observed Jack as if he was an alien, someone who looked strange. He noticed his light blonde hair that almost looked white in the sunlight. He saw his eyes, filled with fear and confusion. Some other boys came to join the one who was with Jack, all were now murmuring something about him, unsure if it was bad or good. Some of the other kids took a glance at Jack, then returned to what they were doing as if he didn't matter.  The boys began to touch Jack's hair and commented on his appearance in between whispers. Jack felt uncomfortable. He felt as if two heavy blocks were crushing him in between. The feeling of being judged by unfamiliar people... it was  _disturbing._

Suddenly, a tall African boy approached Jack, causing the rest of the boys to split apart and watch what is about to happen. The tall boy's name was Jabari, meaning, "courage". He had crooked teeth do to the country's poor hygiene back then. His eyes were a bit pink, probably caused by sleep deprivation. He looked the oldest out of everyone- probably fourteen. Jabari grabbed Jack by his T-shirt and spoke loudly, making sure that  _everyone_ in the room could hear.

"Hey boy, what are  _you_ doing here, eh?" He asked. All of the children including Jabari, know that Jack was treated special by Solidus- and that was envied by  _everyone_.

Jack stopped breathing, for he feared that he would get punched for it. He stared into the eyes of his acquaintance. Jabari couldn't help but grin evilly at Jack's looked of fear. It was refreshing, and  _rewarding_. 

"I...I-I'm..." Jack hesitated. The boy who was  grabbing him with such force was terrifying. He tried to find a reasonable answer, but his words had failed to form.

"How come  _you_ \- a weak child _-_ is treated with care from the Boss?"

 _Boss? Who is the Boss?_ Jack wondered who this guy was. He has heard the name so many times from Solidus, for he was talking about him as if he were a god of some sort...a  _legend._ Time was running out, so Jack quickly shoved those questions  away and reminded himself that he would have to ask Solidus about it another time-  _if_ there was another time, since this Jabari kid was too demanding.

"I was adopted... by him," he finally mentioned. It felt as if it took all the courage in his little body to speak out like that, but he had to say the truth.

Jabari released Jack, then he chuckled to himself. Slowly, his quiet snicker rose into an abrupt and loud laughter. The other kids in the room laughed along with Jabari, fearing what would happen if they didn't. Jack wondered what was funny. He  _did_ mentioned the truth, didn't he?

The tall boy stopped laughing which ended with and amused sigh, and stood up straight in front of Jack, looking even more taller. "Listen,  _angel_   _boy,_ " It appeared that Jabari had found Jack a new nickname, _great._ "Boss doesn't  _adopt_ anyone. He finds kids like us and makes an army of them to go and fight wars."

 _Fight wars?_ Well, Solidus  _did_ warn Jack and informed him that war will be involved. He was well aware of that. But Jabari sounded as if  everyone wasn't just here to fight... it was like _they were going to die._ But it couldn't be true... Solidus treated Jack like a son- not some sort of...  _mindless soldiers._

"Well, If you  _are_ going to fight with us, then you must learn a few things..." Jabari paused before quickly pulling out a small dagger from his pocket and pointed it at Jack. The dagger glinted in the faint light of what lingers in the room. Jack gulped at the blade. _It's so sharp,_ Jack observed in his mind. Did these kids actually acquire these weapons? _Weren't these dangerous? "..._ You  _will_ listen to me, for I am the head of the Small Boy Unit ." The boy declared, after sheathing his dagger.

 

"Actually, you are just the head of the  _making_ of the Small Boy Unit. We haven't had any missions yet- only field training," a small boy from the group piped up, then receiving a glare from Jabari.

"Still," he continued, pretending to ignore the comment, " You listen to  _me,_ understand?"

Jack didn't know what else he should say. If he protested, who knows what could happen to him without George around? For right now, he had to go along with this little game... until it was all over.

"Ye- Yes..."he replied.

"Yes, what?"

"Yes... sir."

Jabari was satisfied to have that type of answer. He loved to have authority. "Good, you may do whatever you children do." He concluded as he walked of to his side of the room. The group of children had gave last second glances at Jack before returning to whatever they were doing.

Jack stood silently in the corner, couldn't comprehend on what just happened. He was  _threatened_. He was forced to obey. He had never done that before, not even with George. 

 

_Was this what Solidus meant by fighting wars and changing lives? Cause Jack wasn't quite prepared for that yet..._

_And Solidus will be most displeased._

 


	7. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been noticing that I haven't really been putting much detail in the story which is probably one of the main reasons why it is so short. I'm sorry guys, but because I am more of an artist rather than an author, I do have hard times expressing thought into words, so I am doing the best I can. ; ) Once again, thank you guys for reading and I hope that you will keep on finding the chapters entertaining and I hope that it will satisfy your desire for knowledge on Raiden's past!
> 
> WARNING: Grammar and spelling mistakes are a possibility.  
> (also, I am writing this very late at night and I feel exhausted, so it might sound all slurry XD )
> 
>  
> 
> OH MA GAWD. I had just finished the chapter, which was all nice and detailed... until my computer DIED. Now I have to redo the whole chapter DX
> 
> Please bear with me if this chapter sounds super rushed, cause I am really ticked off just as much as you are.

"Wake up, boy!"

 

 

It was a familiar voice this time- something he was  _used_ to. It didn't sound harsh, but rather encouraging.

 _George,_  Jack thought.  _He has come to pick me up from this place!_

 

Far from it.

George was inside the room where Jack was in. It appeared that Jack took a  _nap_ in the corner that he was seeking comfort in. George shook his shoulder, forcing him to wake up. The boy rubbed his eyes and tried to remember where he was. Was he back in the tent? Then, he felt a slight pain in his back area. ' _Note to self',_ Jack told himself, ' _never sleep in corners.'_

 _"_ Come on, boy. It's time for your first day of training," George said. Jack was now fully awake. He just remembered that he wanted to tell George that he wanted to leave. He slowly stood up, trying to avoid the small ache in his back. He scratched his head sleepily, trying to focus  on the question that he wanted to ask.

"Um... George?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"I don't like it hear. I want to go home."

Solidus's smile faded into a serious look.  _No, there's no way he's gonna give up like that, not while I'm so close!_ He thought to himself. It was true. Solidus had spent years playing Jack's little game. And now that he was old enough... it was time to play his. But since Jack still looked up to George, he couldn't afford to tell the boy to roughen up or else he would protest. So he had to bring out  _the conversation_ again. He hated talking about it, because that was what he used whenever Jack wouldn't listen to him. He still was amazed on how every time, the subject always worked.

"Jack," He began, pulling out his classic look of sympathy, "Your parents--"

"I know..." Jack interrupted, catching Solidus surprise, " They want me to avenge their deaths." Solidus was relieved that he caught on, now he doesn't have to pull that stunt anymore.

"But," Jack continued, "What I'm about to do, is it worth it? Will I be safe?" If Solidus couldn't be anymore caught off guard, it would have been  _today._

"Jack, listen to me. This is  _war-_ I cannot guarantee your safety." Solidus had to tell him the truth, but he had to add something else reassuring- for Jack was starting to give a nervous look. "But that is why you must fight to  _survive_. You are going to be trained the basics of military and army combat procedures."

"But why now? Why not wait when I am older?"

"The younger you know it, the better you retain it."

Jack now understood what he had to do. He nodded his head in agreement, then received a pat on the head from George.

"Attaboy, Jack," he praised. "Aha! I almost forgot..." He reached inside his pocket and handed Jack a gift... a  _knife_.It didn't glint as much since it was later, so the light wasn't as bright as earlier.  They were sitting in the dark room, having the flickering light bulb in the hallway serve as the only light source. "Happy birthday, Jackie boy."

Jack hesitated at the knife. Earlier, he was  _threatened_ by one- and now he is receiving one. He slowly took the blade handle and looked at it as if it grew a mouth and started to speak. Solidus laughed in amusement. To him, he found it  _hilarious_ to witness soldiers receiving weapons for the first time.

"What will I do with this?" He trembled, worry forming on his face.

"For now, it will be used to cut objects..." George stopped himself before saying the rest. He still had to be careful with his words, whether Jack was following his plan or not. He patted the boy's  back and took him outside in the evening light. The air was warm, yet had a hint of a fresh breeze that made Jack  breathe it in slowly, enjoying what if had to offer. They walked towards a nearby evacuated building, which was now used as a training center for the children. It had three floors and a small field outside that was covered in sandbags and training equipment.

Once they reach inside the building, they made their way up towards the second floor and past the hallway into room, which was better than what Jack was in. It had a hanging light on the ceiling and two windows, providing all the light that was required. But it wasn't the room that made Jack cringe- it was  _who was inside the room._

All of the boy's from earlier, including Jabari -who glared at him- were inside the room with another man named Zuberi, meaing, 'powerful'. Zuberi was a dark skinned man who wore sunglasses often and had a serious and stern look. George began to whisper to the man, talking about Jack and his history. 

The man gave Jack a look of uncertainty after listening what else George had mentioned, then returned his gaze onto the children, who were chattering and socializing. Before George left the room, he bent down and whispered into Jack's ear, "Don't failed me, kid," Then walked off.

Zuberi called for the everyone's attention and announced  the following:

"Congratulations! Everyone in the room you are looking at will be your comrade and teammate of your group!"

There were small cheers, and some groans, which Zuberi ignored and continued.

"All of the other rooms in this building are different teams, who are also competing against you for the title of the Small Boy Unit. Each team has names. Yours is the Wolves, or if you prefer, Wild dogs. The other names of the teams are: Team Falcon, Team Alligator, Team Jaguar,  Team Viper, Team Fox, and the one that holds the oldest kids, Team Dragon." 

Everyone in the room fell in awe. These names sounded cool, especially Team Dragon. Jack noticed that Jabari sneered once Team Dragon was mentioned. What history did he have with it? He stopped wondering once Zuberi assorted everyone with their needs.

Everyone was fed food and water.

Except Jack.

Everyone was given a bed.

Except Jack. 

Everyone took a nice, warm shower.

Except Jack.

And everyone fell sound asleep... except Jack, who, was told to just wait in the corner until everyone was asleep. 

Zuberi walked towards the boy and took him up to the third floor and into a room with a metal door. To Jack, the room was  _terrifying._

 The only light source had a dim, red color to it which added the horror effect. The bed had and I.V. Attached to it on the left side, followed by a cart full of surgical tools. The bed looked normal. It wasn't the average hospital bed look... all the more frightening. The room was stagnant, for there were no windows. And the corners werected so densely cloaked in shadows that it looked as if black figures were already there.

Jack slowly stepped backwards, trying to exit the room. "W-What is this for?" He  asked nervously.

Zuberi ignored the boy and proceeded to walk towards the cabinet in the room. He grabbed a bottle of pills and returned, motioning Jack to leave. "Relax, I was only grabbing these for a wounded soldier. Your room is down the hall."

 _That was close... almost too close,_ Jack sighed in relief. A wave of reassurance flooded over him as he was introduced to his room. It was fairly large, with two windows and a hanging light that didn't flier from time to time. The bed was fairly bed and looked comfortable. Before the bed lie a small desk that had a sack of equipment. On the sack, there was a note:

_"This is for you Jack. Treat these as if they were your own arms and legs, for they will save you. Do NOT lose these, cause you won't get extra supply. Don't let me down, boy, I know you can do it._

_\- George Sears"_

 

After reading the note, he quickly examined the bag to see what was so precious that he couldn't lose. He found a blue bandana, a piece of cloth, a Swiss army knife, and the uniform that he would be wearing the next day. Clearly, Jack wasn't impressed by the setup. These items were  _useless._ But if they were just beginers, then that means that they get beginer stuff.

"Alright. Now that you have been informed of what will be happening, tomorrow, you will wake up at 6:30 in the morning. You will have your uniform and bandana on. You will head downstairs to recieve breakfast and head out onto the field outside. If you are tardy, you will recieve punishment. Do I make myself clear?" Zuberi demanded.

"Yes, sir," the boy responded, sleep slowly creeping up on him.

Jack got into bed and tucked himself under the covers. Zuberi turned off the light and stepped out of the room.

"Oh, and Jack?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You are only in this room because Solidus is so focused on  _your_ training. You are the only kid who he has spent the most time with, and that is rare. This room is the most luxurious  of this building, so you already have a head start. However-" he paused, making sure that what he was about to say stick onto Jack's mind.

"Just because you are Solidus's favorite, that  _does not_ excuse you from failure. You can be punished just as severely as any of the boys here. You cannot fail."

"Understood."

"Excelllent. I'll see you downstairs tomorrow. Do not be late." And with that, he left the room, Levin Jack all by himself in the everlasting silence, followed by the occasional  noise of flickering lights in the hallway. 

So this is it. He now just stepped past the line of luxury and now he has to toughen up for war.

Having the silence mixed with his tiredness finally taking him over, he fell asleep. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DAD!"

Raiden was interrupted by his son again, who had been calling him for quite some time. Snake flinched after hearing John's voice pull him back into reality.  _Why does it stop on the good part?_

Snake was truly amazed at Raiden's story. He had never known much about his past, and was now starting to all make sense. All of his behavior, actions, and personality was tampered with by his past, and the Patriots.

John rushed towards his father. He reached for his dad's hand and pulled it, attempting to make him get up.

"Woah, woah, John! What's the rush?" Raiden was surprised at his son's urgency for his to move. Obviously, because Raiden  was a trillion pounds heavier than John, he wouldn't buge. But looking at John's determination, that was most impressive.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." John pouted, finally admitting defeat by letting go of Raiden's hand. "Can we go to the coffee shop and get hot chocolate?"

Raiden smiled at his son. It  _was_ getting cold- not that it'd bother Raiden- but John was begining to sneeze, along with Snake. 

"Alright," he answered, picking up John and carrying him, "Let's go get you some hot chocolate."

"YAY!" 

Snake grunted. He didn't want the story to end, not like this.

Realizing  Snake's  look of disappointment, he invited Snake to come with them. "Snake, how about we talk more while John gets his drink? Then we can stop by my apartment and have dinner there."

Glad to oblige, he nodded in agreement, then followed that up with a comment. "Wait, dinner? Can Rosemary cook yet?"

Raiden gave an awkward laugh, while John gave an immediate, "No," as an answer.

"Well, Rose is taking an emergency dinner course at the apartment with a professional cook... so we'd better hope so." He answered questionably, unsure if he was right about Rose actually cooking.

"Can't you cook?" Snake asked.

"Yes, but not for long or the wires would overheat due to the heat from the oven or stove. Also, who's ever heard of a cyborg chef?" Raiden began to mimic a salesperson on a commercial. "Come see Raiden, the Super-Cyborg-Chef. He can mince up all kinds of things with his HF blade that will put all blenders and knives to shame!"

Having very little knowledge on what the conversation  was about, John still laughed, only managed to think that his dad being a chef was wildly funny. Snake was also amused, but could only managed a weak laugh followed by a cough.

As they finally reached the coffee shop, while ignoring the usual nervous glances from people who were looking at Raiden, they ordered two coffees and one small hot chocolate. The cashier, who was disturbed at Raiden's appearance, insisted that the order was free, and brought the beverages in a hasty movement.

Sbake gave a concerned look at Raiden. No matter what he does, everyone  _feared_ him. He was even more amazed on how the man ignored the looks and continued out his day. They sat at a table in the far corner, where the looks wouldn't reach. John grabbed his drink from his dad and thanked him. 

Raiden and Snake took their coffees and poured a couple of sugar packets in them. Well, because he loved sweet things, Raiden poured  _a lot_ of bags in his drink, growing a mischievous  smile.

Snake chuckled at the sight, then raised his brow before asking his question. "Raiden, are people acting like this around you a lot?"

The cyborgs stopped pouring the packets in his drinks. He placed them on the table and stared down at his coffee. "Yes," he replied, "in New Zealand, everyone didn't mind  it much . The actually found it cool. But here, back in the US, everyone is afraid. Cyborgs here are known for killing civilians and  terrorizing people, and that was all World Marashal's fault. Also, cyborgs are still new to the society, so it would freak  them out."

Snake wasn't satisfied by the answer. It was true, not all people are born Lucky, but Raiden has the  _worst luck_ with society, especially  after he killed the Senator and most of World Marshal's police department. To some people, he was a criminal. To others, he was a psycopath. But to the small percent of people, he was a hero.

Raiden hated it when he was given sympathy. He already has do deal with it from Rose, which was a drama show enough. He told John to go play in the play space that was located in a room called the 'Kids Corner'. It wasn't a corner, more like another room with slides and small games. 

Now that John was out of the way, Raiden could continue his story.

He took a sip from his over sugared coffee and spoke.

"Alright, like I was saying..."

 


	8. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter! I will try to make this longer and more detailed, but don't get your hypes up. Once again (for the fifth time XD ) thanks for reading and make sure to leave a comment or give Kudos on it^^ have a nice day.
> 
> WARNING: Grammer and misspellings are bound to happen. Also, I am tired, so it will happen most likely.  
> \---------- --------- ------

It was morning. The sun rose, bringing in early morning rays of light that go through the windows. The birds began to chirp and a new day began.

Jack was still out cold in his bed. The night must have  _really_ gotten to him. Also, he loved to sleep. It felt so comfortable being able to feel refreshed  after waking up. Also, he wasn't a morning person.

_Which made the problem worse._

Jack awoke due to the sun's rays shining brightly in his eyes. He slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes and stretched. He emitted a long  _yawwwwwnn_ glanced at the alarm clock.

Oh, shoot...

It's  _7:42._

Now fully awake, he jumped out of bed and rushed with putting on his uniform. He examined it in the mirror and wrapped his bandana around his forehead. He put on the shoes that were assigned as uniforms- none. That was correct,  _the uniforms were civilian clothes. He had a light grey shirt with blue shorts on._

Not caring what he wore at the moment, he rushed downstairs to the first floor over to the mess hall. If he was lucky, maybe everyone was still eating...

_No, no one was there._

Having worry and anxiety flood over him, he dashed outside where the field was.

He was really late.

Once he was on the field. He saw his team standing in a formation. No one moved an inch, and they all looked in the same direction- foward. When Jack got closer, a soldier named Kamsen, walked over to Jack. 

 

"Well, good morning, buddy!" Kamsen greeted the boy with such a friendly voice. He sounded as if he was talking to Jack as a baby. "Did you have a good night's rest?" Jack was suspicious of the man's behavior. He was white, just like him, with a blonde mohawk fade. His icy blue eyes brought chills whenever he sounded kind. A scar was located between his left eye and bottom lip, leaving a long scratch across his face.

When he smiled, his lips curled over his teeth, as if a dog was snarling. He had a lot of muscles and wire a dark grey tank top along with camo-pattern pants and  brown combat boots. He wore dog tags that belonged to his  old deceased friends.  He had a thick country accent, which made him look even more tough.

The boy nodded slowly, unsure if that was even the correct answer. He didn't mind kindness, but this was unsettling.

Jack wondered why the man was being so friendly... buthe clearly dropped the act.

"Well, sport," he continued, dropping his fatherly tone and replacing it with a cruel shout, " **Your** comrades, brothers, and teamates, we're all  **standing** here this whole time while you were dozing off to dream-land!" 

Some of the boys  in line couldn't help but glance at Jack, who was caught off guard by the man's immediate switch of temper. 

"This is war, boy! You mess up, so does  _everyone_ here," he said, while circling his finger in the the air signaling everyone. "What if we were all under attacked? Or you had to watch post? Just one mistake, and the enemy could  kill us all!"

A huge weight of guilt fell of Jack. He didn't mean to sleep so late.

"Well, son? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Jack couldn't speak. He was so shaken up that he was afraid to speak. The only thing he could muster was a mouth apology.

"..."

"What was that? I can't hear you."

"I'm... I--"

***OOF!***

Jack collapsed onto the floor. He felt a sharp pain on his right cheek.  _Did... did he- punch  me?_ He reacted. Was that even allowed? What kind of place was this?

Jack slowly got up, only to have Kamsne's fist contact with his face again.

"Weren't you warned of the consquences?" He asked, while kicking Jack's stomach. "This is what happens in life, kid! If you are too weak, life's gonna kick the living crap outta you!"

Jack was barely blocking his kicks on the ground. Kamsne's  blows weren't that rough, but they still hurt. Jack noticed a few boy's were wincing at him and some that were staring with wide eyes. Some gave him the look of, "You deserve it."

By looking at their expressions it appeared that no one was beat like this before, all the more making it surprising.

Kamsen  stopped kicking and took a deep breath. He took out a cigar and lit it. He took a puff and exhaled the smoke, feeling calmer now.

He stepped off of Jack, who was struggling for air, and walked in front of the formation as if nothing had happened.

"This is what happens when you goof around." He was pointing directly at Jack.

"However, because I am feeling so generous this morning, you will  _earn_ your meal. But, if you fail, you don't get to eat  _for the rest of the day."_

After hearing that, sounds of small protest and panic aroused in the crowd of boys. Who could blame them? They hadn't eaten this morning due to Jack's late slumber. 

Jack was wrenching on the dusty floor. Dust and bits of grass were caught in his hair and clothes. He was bruised on his left cheek, and his stomach muscles ached as if he did one million sit ups. He made a grimacing face at the pain, muffled from sound. 

"Enough!" Kamsen shouted at the protest. "It's time to start training. I want you to run eight laps around this whole field in  _under_ ten minutes."

In a flash, one by one, the children were sprinting around the building and field in desperate desire for a meal. Some made glances at their trainer and the kid who caused them no meal to begin with.

Kamsen walked over towards Jack and picked him up by the hair. Jack grunted in pain and was seizing the man's strong wrists, but no use.

"Not, you. You ain't gonna eat today. Boss said to keep an eye on you and you already screwed up. Pitiful kid." He smirked, raising the boy higher until Jack could stand on his own feet. He pushed him towards where the lap mark was. 

"As punishment, you're  gonna run  until I say stop," the soldier ordered, giving a stern face. "And if I catch you walking , you  _will_ be prayin' the Lord for mercy."

He signaled Jack to begin, and the boy did so with no objection. He hated running. His lungs would tire out easily and the rocks on the floor would sometimes poke at his feet while running. It was hard for him to breathe, due to the horrible area he was in. 

_Right, left..._

_Right, left..._

_Right...._

He kept repeating in his mind. It may not have worked with his pacing, but it sure did kept his mind off the running. Jack avoided eye contact with his teamates who where passing him, already on their sixth to seventh lap. Most called him names and glared at him, while others avoided him altogether.

   _Great,_ he thought to himself,  _now I'm the most hated person here._

He didn't know how long it had been after the other kids were fed for succeeding. It felt like hours, or minutes... he wasn't so sure anymore.

Jack was almost at the point of breaking down, but fear of what would happen to him drove his urge to continue. To be honest, Kamsen actually  _forgot_ about him. It was not until he had to leave when he noticed Jack, who was rasping for air, and called it off.

"You're done kid, get some rest." 

Jack collapsed on the floor, his heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to burst. Anot her soldier gave him water and instructed him to go to the second floor in the building where the rest of the students were being taught lessons. 

After chugging  the water, savoring every refreshing gulp down his dry throat, he put the bottle down, and rushed upstairs, fearing be late again. He had to admit, the water wasn't cold and cool as it was earlier, but he didn't complain much, water was water.

As soon as he entered the room with the teacher and his teamates, who were sitting on the floor looking at the chalk board, he heard an outburst. "Well, look who it is... It's  _Angel Boy!_ " The remark was supported by a crowd of laughter, which was silenced by the teacher.

"Jack, it's good to have you in this class. Please, sit down, while I discuss the methods and psychology of people."

Jack trudged towards the back of the room. He slumped against the wall, giving hostile looks to anyone who looked back at him. He was hungry, tired, and pissed. He focused his attention at the instructor  while keeping a concentrated and serious expression on.

"Now then, " he began, "let's continue our talk about the human mind..."

                                                                                                  ------------------------------- 

 

After the class ended, Jack's mind was racing. 

"Remember, a comforting lie can sometimes save you over an honest, yet painful truth. The trick is to get that person to be on your side, or rather, not see you as a threat. Once you've  reached that zone, you can begin to set the stage."

That lecture was what kept repeating in his mind.  _A comforting lie  can be better than a painful truth._

It reminded Jack of George, the man who 'rescued' him from danger. Could George by lying about something? No... it couldn't be. He has never lied to Jack before. Although... he was acting weird whenever Jack began training. He acted more of a strict sergeant  than the kind man who played with Jack ever since he was a younger kid.

As soon as he was about to reach his door, he noticed something: There was a locked door.

Before, it was just an empty space, but now, the room was closed off.

"Sorry, kid. You're gonna be sleeping in a different room from now on."

That low voice... it was  _Zuberi._

Jack turned around. The man was giving a disappointed look at the boy. 

"What happened to my room?"

"Because of your actions,you will be sleeping on the first floor until you have exceeded very high standards."

Without saying a word, he was brought down to the first floor and into his new room. 

_Oh my god... you've got to be kidding me..._

The room was hardly even a space. The only bed was a pile of hay and there was a broom in the small corner. There was one window and barely  even a light. It looked so cramped, Jack wondered how he would be able to move.

"This isn't fair, " Jack complained, "First it's no meal, I have to run for hours, I'm hated by everyone, and now I get  _this?_ "

Zuberi frowned at his complaint. "Life's not fair kid. One moment you're treated with care. Then the next, you mess up and now you have this." Clearly he was referring to the light blonde boy who was having a fit.

Jack growled and threw his things into the corner and slumped into the pile of hay, without even making effort to position himself  until he was comfortable. He switched his angry face into a worried look.

"Does George know about this?" He asked.

Zuberi scoffed then smirked. "Not yet. But because you're an okay kid, I'll let it slide for this once."

Jack sighed in relief out loudly, which pulled a chuckled from the soldier. He finally comforted himself  in the hay stack and closed his eyes. "See you tomorrow," he spoke softly.

"Make sure you don't sleep in late again, this room sure looks comfy," the man teased, making Jack grunt.

" _If_ I can even manage to sleep," he retorted.

Feeling amused, Zuberi turned off the light and left the area, leaving Jack alone again.

Hunger clawed at his stomach, emitting a low rumble. He was terribly hungry, and tired as well. Surprisingly, sleep arrived quicker than Jack thought.

He closed his eyes and slept...

_Another day closer to meeting his fate... Jack the Ripper._

 

 


	9. Revised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for this chapter being so late, I was so busy this week! Anywho, I hope that you enjoy and remember to either give this some Kudos or comment^^

Jack woke up to the intense pain from yesterday's hunger. It now felt as if his stomach was being ripped open very slowly.

He turned to the wall, baffled on what time it was. All he noticed was a brown, wooden wall, having the window placed at the top of Jack's head. Wasn't there supposed to be an alarm clock?  _Oh, wait... there wasn't._  He got the _worst_ room out of the whole building.

Worried about being late again and missing a meal, he quickly got up and rushed outside. There was no need to change outfits, for he slept in his uniform overnight. After having rushed outside into the crisp, morning air, a beam of sunlight flashed in Jack's eyes, causing him to squint and shield his tired face.

Once he reached the field, the boy came to realize that no one was there. 

 _'Uh, oh,'_ he panicked, " _Am I late again?'_

To his luck, Jack actually got up at 6:17, which was really early. Before the nervous boy decided to search for anyone inside the building, he heard a sudden sizzle sound coming from behind the building. Having curiosity win over him, Jack decided to investigate the noise. As he cautiously headed toward the sound, he began to smell something which drew him in more...  _food._

Just having the scent reach his nose made his stomach claw itself and emitted a loud growl to remind Jack how hungry he really was. His careful tread shifted into a desperate whiplash. He skidded to a halt once seeing was his senses lead him to.

There was a tent that had tables, each having large cooking pots. _'That is where the food is being held in',_ Jack thought hungrily. Realizing that he was drooling with mad hunger, he continued to walk towards the area. The tents were ran by a group of men in aprons who wore hairnets. They were in the middle of scooping the food and plopping in onto the plastic plates. One of the men noticed the approaching child and smirked at him.

"Hey, it's Angel Boy!" He called out to the other men. He beckoned Jack over, who didn't hesitate to rush over.

"So, kid," the man began, putting a small scoop of the meal onto a plastic plate, "how'd ya get here anyway?" The man was the same color as Jack and had hair as red as the sunset.   He gave a welcoming smile and his tree-green eyes glinted with charity.

Jack shoved his pain aside an his eyes clouded with woe. He tilted his head down, wanting to avoid eye contact.

"My parents..." he sniffled. "They... they were killed."  He muttered out the last word, almost drawing tears. He may not have remember them well, but the happy memories were there because of his parents.

The man felt sorry for the poor kid. He lost his parents at such a young age. Who knows how he grew up- going through all the pain? What was it that kept this boy so motivated?

He handed the plate of food to Jack, who took the plate hesitantly, looked at the man and noticed his sign of assurance, and quickly gobbled up the food. It wasn't the Liberian pineapple and calla that he always had under the care of Solidus's care... but the fried rice with cut chicken he was eating  was better than nothing. It sure felt good to satisfy the hunger that was attacking him for so long. However, the meal as only a spoonful- more like a sample. Having finishing the plate in only a matter of seconds, he held it out, meaning that his hunger wasn't satisfied and he wanted more.

"Sorry kid, I'm not even supposed to give out food to you guys until  _you've earned it._ "The man said awkwardly. Trying to cheer the boy up he said, "Hey, since you woke up early and got food first, that doesn't mean that you won't get the food that you're supposed to have after training."

Jack knew that he was trying his best to please him, so the least he could do was smile and nod like he understood. He gave the plate to the man, having another man place a hand on the child's shoulder. "You will be lining up over there," he said while pointed at the empty table. "That is where you will be served food."

As Jack was about to make his way over the table, the same hand forced him to stay. "Not now. You have to go back to the field and stand in formation there. You will have to do training,  _then_ that is when you can eat."

Jack nodded and made his way back towards the field. He noticed that some of his teammates a long with those from the other teams were already there, shocked to see Angel Boy's early arrival.

"Well, well, well," a boy said. It was  _Jubari . "_ Looks like you were up early this morning. Did the angel not have enough beauty sleep?"

A wave of laughter came from the small crowd of boys. Looks as if Jack's new nickname had spread throughout the whole  _military._ But of course, this was the  _son_ of George Sears everyone was talking about- so news about him would spread _fast.  
_

 

 He ignored the comment and continued to walk to his post. But before he could get there, Jubari blocked his way, clearly he  _wasn't_ pleased to see Jack's reaction. So what better to do than annoy him even more?

"So, I heard that you lost your luxurious room privilege," he began, causing Jack to give the boy complete attention. "So now you sleep in a  _broom closet,_ ha!" More laughter arose from the group, causing rage to run through Jack's veins. The bully noticed this and mocked him. "Aww, have I made the little Angel mad? What are you going to do, tell the lord about it?"

Jack shoved Jubari off to the side and marched off. Again, the 14 year old was still not satisfied. He wanted to  _fight._ He grabbed the five year old an was about to insult him some more- until a loud burst erupted from the boy.

" _Just leave me alone!"_ Jack shouted furiously, his face turned red. His eyes scorched with anger. All of the laughing boys stood silent. Jubari was shocked as well... no one has ever seen Jack get  _mad_ before. For the past two days, he was though as the sissy quiet kid who thinks that war is a game. "I'm no angel," he continued after he calmed down.

Now, Jubari was  _very_ close to a fight, until Kamsen came outside and interrupted the argument.

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" he ordered. Everyone stood in formation in six rows of five, since all of the teams lined up.

"Jubari," Kamsen called out.

"Yes sir?"

"Angel boy is apart of _your_ team. He is your comrade, not the enemy. If I ever see you treat your team members like that again you will be severely punished."

"U-understood, sir."

Jubari was hesitant and spoke softly when answering. Clearly, he _was_ punished before, perhaps when he was younger.

However, Jack could hear a silent snicker from the crowd after Kamsen called him, ' _Angel Boy' ._ So does that mean that all of the teachers and soldiers would call him this too?

"Listen up!" the instructor announced. "Today, you will doing a race! You will first race against your teammates and see who is the fastest. Once you found your fastest member, he will compete against the other teams who have their fastest member. After that, the next fastest will compete against the rest, and so on." Right when everyone was about to separate into groups, the soldier continued. 

"Let me finish. The fastest runner will receive  _twice_ the amount of food they're supposed to get. And the slowest- will receive _none._ " Kamsen was looking at Jack for the last part. ' _He thinks that I'm going to lose,'_ he thought. Well, he was going to show him... he was going to show everybody.

It's time to show them what the "Angel" can do.

 

 

 


	10. Retry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case if you guys are waiting for the good part, don't worry. We'll get to that soon enough. ;)
> 
> I just have to get through this part first and then I can write more exciting things.
> 
> By the way, thank for for the likes, I really appreciate it^^ And I am trying to make the story better every chapter.
> 
> Have a nice day! :)

_"Ready... set... GO!"_

Jack had been hearing those words a lot today. Teams were racing against each other and having to restart due to cheating or kids calling each other unfair and claiming that they are at the disadvantage. The fastest member on Jack's team wasn't Jubari- which surprised everyone. It was a small boy named Kamau, meaning, 'quiet soldier'. He looked about seven or eight years of age, all the more shocking on how fast he was. The next fastest was another child named Kanye,  _then_ came Jubari- who was blushing in embarrassment.  

Fortunately, Jack was the 5th fastest- and he was the youngest child on the team! He received a few compliments and apologies on how they were wrong to underestimate him, but all of these were not enough to earn their respect. 

Once all of the teams began to race against one another, the line in front of the food stands slowly grew as each race was being completed. Jack was called up to stand in front of the white line. The course was to race around the building and make it back towards the white line. It seemed easy- if everyone was wearing  _shoes._

The instructors claimed that running without shoes shows your true speed and it builds tolerance in multi-climate floors. The field, however, had shrapnel that was hidden in dust over the past years. All the more dangerous. So far, a couple of kids were returning with glass stuck in their foot with minor bleeding cases.

Jack looked at his competitor- it was a Dragon member! Team Dragon has won all of the races so far, making them the head of the line. The member was  _tall_ and looked like Jubari's age. How could Jack beat this guy? He was more than twice his age!

Jack was curious about the boy. He was silent. All he did was just stare straight ahead, eyes locking forward. Most of the boys were either looking at their teammates , at the floor, or say something to their competitor to throw them off... but this guy... he was  _strange._ Now, if there was some way to get his attention... Some way to catch him off guard. If he could do that, then the boy wouldn't be too focused on the race-no, can get a  _head start._

"What's your name?" The question escaped Jack's lips before he could think on what to say. He wondered if the guy heard the question. He hope that he didn't- it made Jack sound like a  _baby._ He stood silent for a while as the instructor was reloading the gun for the next race. 

At the last moment, Jack heard a sedate mumble that sounded so sure of itself. "My name won't matter to you after this race." The boy didn't even turn to look at his opponent.

" _GO!"_

The shot fired, creating a wave of cheering for the Dragon member- yet, very few cheered for Jack. The boy bolted ahead, creating a small cloud of dust and kicking up sand as he ran off, leaving Jack behind, who, despite the head start, made a fair dash as well. 

It took no time to be caught up with the Dragon racer. Maybe because he had eaten before anyone else so it gave him more energy; maybe he was truly fast-  _maybe it was both._

Still, whether Jack had the advantage or not, there was no way he was going to lose this time. On the part where the track continues around the side of the building, he drifted a bit to keep his speed up and ran around. Now, the building, it was the  _hardest_ part of the course. It was where the most shrapnel and small pieces  of sharp objects including rocks and glass that covered the area. It was too much that it looked as if you had to literally  run on a path of glass and rocks, but it certainly  felt the same.

Luckily, Jack was taught about running on grounds like these when he was still with Solidus. " If you think that you can just run past a sharp area with lighting  speed, then you might as well go grab a knife and cut your own foot off." Jack was having a small flashback, trying to remember what he had been told. "If you had shoes, then running would be easy- but you got no shoes.

 "When running on the gound barefoot, it's all about where you're looking and how hard your feet strike the ground. As long as you practice heel and forefoot strike and know how to use them, then walking and running barefoot will see more comfortable. All you gotta do is step lightly."

 _'That's it! All I have to do is step lightly and make sure that my forefoot strike isn't too hard,'_ Jack concluded. He slowly ran lightly and struck the ground with his heels instead of his forefoot, causing his speed to increase slightly and move more swiflty. He saw the sharp objects  that stood out like a lion amouno a herd of cattle and tried his best to avoid them. The crowd of kids that were in line stopped cheering for the Dragon member and one by one, began to cheer for Jack.

"Come on, Angel!"

"Yeah, you can beat him!"

He had to admit, it felt really  _good_ to recieve encouragement. It felt like a- tiny boost. Still, 'Angel Boy' was still stuck as his nickname instead of his real name, so he couldn't call victory yet. 

Finally, Jack saw the finish line ahead of him, and sped up, still using his light run method. Because of how swift he was moving, if almost looked  _unnatural. He was only five,_ and that was what made it look even more unsettling. He was leaning forward and running super fast. He kind of looked like some sort of ostrich-humanoid.  A huge gust of wind blew against Jack's light blonde hair and his loose blue shirt and shorts. 

' _I'm flying,'_ he thought,  _'I'm really flying!'_

Jack felt a surge of extra energy run through his veins- probably the adrenaline. He felt as if he could leap off of the ground and soar through the air. But the thought expired once he reached the white line. He slid against it so he wouldn't run past it to slow sown. A large cloud of dust formed from his sliding feet, causing nearby people to cough.

The adrenaline  disappeared, and Jack's  breathing became heavy, his heart beating so hard it felt as if the farthest person could hear it loud and clear. He slowly got up and walk towards the line, passing by a lot of mouth drops and shocked team members and soldiers. Some were silent, while others were murmuring  to their other peers.  _He has beaten a Dragon member at a race- and they were known as the best!_

A still quietness filled the air, then one by one, a clap, then another. Shortly, most of the kids were clapping along with the soldiers- except  for Jubari and the Dragon members.

Jack's success could have said the very least for the other kid, who was just passing the line. His foot was cut up and he left trails of blood. He was panting desperately  and was leaning down to breathe, giving Jack a hostile glare from time to time. Kamsen came towards the boy and slapped him across the head hearshly, receiving a surprised  yelp.

"You lost  _again?!_ What did I tell you, Tortoise? You are lucky as hell that you are only 13, or else I would have to kill you if you didn't pass training."

Jack walked faster away from Tortoise and Kamsen. Was he named Tortoise because he lost a race before? Seemed like it, considering that the boys foot was messed up and how hard he was breathing. He looked as if he never ran his whole life! So Jack didn't win, Tortoise was just  _slow._

Still, he did beat a Dragon member nonetheless, which was a huge deal here. He stood behind another dragon member in line, waiting for food. The member scowled at him and continued to look ahead. Jack didn't care if he was hated anymore, he finally knows what he was capable  of. All he ever wanted was to please was George, no one else.

Once he received his portion of food, Kamsen interrupted. "Stop, don't give him that much." He ordered. Was he going to shrink his portion, or worse, not give him any food at all? The soldier continued to speak, showing something else in his eyes- wonder. "Double his meal," he ordered. "This kid clearly has improved a bunch, and Boss would love to hear about it." 

The man whom Jack had been talking to earlier grabbed two spoonfuls  of the fried rice with chicken pieces. Once he gave the boy the meal, he stopped him for a second.

"Hold up. So  _You're_ Boss's kid? I thought you were just a kid from one of his close commanders!"

Jack nodded and smiled a bit, taking pride to be called the son of George. He wanted to remind him that he was his godfather, but the man was smiling in amazement, so Jack spared the happy moment. He continued away from the line and headed back to his formation where everyone was eating and while the other kids were finishing up their races.Tortoise was being yelled at by his team members. Poor guy.

Jack's team called him over and welcome him to sit with them. Feeling awkward, yet slightly pleased, he accepted the invite. The Wof team was sitting in a large circle, and Jack sat next to a boy who was seven named Carl. Carl was just like Jack, had white skin and blonde hair, but his was darker than him and his eyes were brown instead of blue.Carl also had a buzz cut instead of free growth hair. Jubari was sitting right across from Jack, occasionally  sneering at him and talking to his peers.

The conversation  was mostly about training, since there was nothing else to talk about. Sometimes, it switched to talking about the race, which Jack would usually change the subject from there to something else, to talking about food or the environmet. But it was mostly about training. Then, a topic popped up.

"Is anyone excited to use the guns?" The boy asked anxiously.  A wave of excited yesses  and squeals responded-except Jack Jubari, who, stood silent. One of the boy's noticed this and wondered. "Hey Ang-- I mean,   _Jack._ Why aren't you excited about using guns? What about you, Jubari?"

Jack responded bluntly, "Are you excited to use the weapon, or to kill people with it?" This earned a questioning gaze from everyone. Jubari, however, begged to differ.

"Of course I'm excited about guns. They will make us powerful and no one can stand in our way." A cheer arose from the circle, followed  by the kids from the other groups, who came over to join the conversation.

"Idiot," Jack stated loudly.

"What did you call me?!"

"I said, 'idiot'. So you're saying that you are anxious to use a weapon designed to kill people? Do you even know what we are about to kill?"

There was a huge silence. No one was excited anymore. A few soldiers who were watching came in to see what the commotion was about.

"So what? Does it matter who we kill? We got guns, and what do they have?" Jubari objected.

"Tanks." Jack anwered, raising his voice so that everyone could here. "Nukes, jets, rifles, grenades, mines, terrorist groups, hijackers, hackers, supply, an army! What else would you think the enemy could have?!" A few kids began to stare at the ground, feeling out ranked. More soldiers came in to listen what this boy had to say. "We were sent here so we could know how to survive all of that, not to become excited about using guns! We shouldn't be excited to kill people, never! This is serious, this is war! We can't just play with a gun aiming it at people for no reason, we could actually die! We are supposed to survive the battledfield, not play in it!"

A few of the adults were nodding in approval. "You got talent there kid. You're a true leader." One of the soldiers commented.

Jubari felt challenged, so he objected. "So what if we're on the battlefield? We get a gun, we kill! It is the instructor's job to tell us where and  who to shoot, ours! Who told you any of this crap anyways?"

"George Sears."

If the area couldn't have gone quieter than before,  it did now. The Boss really said that? Everyone thought. 

"Hey kid," one of the adults said, "the Boss would never say tha--"

"He did say that we had to obey orders, so you are right, Jubari," Jack ignored the soldier. He stood up and continued the conversation. "However, he said that we had to have  _some_ knowledge of our surroundings. Depending on who it was, it is  _optional_ to kill innocent people, but the target was mandatory. He said that if we just mindlessly  obey orders without thinking then that would lead to stupidity. Because if someone messes up, and we didn't notice, everyone is in danger. That is why we know what gun to use and what weapon to have when given the proper situation.  _That_ is what George wants us to do." _  
_

Everyone was dumbfounded. A five year old, said that? Unbelievable...

\-------------------------

 

 

It has been a month of running, sit ups, push ups, and other  stretches. Jack was respected after what he had said, both by the adults and children. He wasn't the best at the training, but he did manage an average of acceptance. He kept on metionic what he had learned from Solidus in his indoor class, which was way advanced for his age and the other students. Because of his high rating of success, Jack was offered the luxurious room  _many_ times, but he refused.

"No,"  he stated," I don't need luxury in battle. But I will take the room with my team members in it." So he was moved from the closet to the room, which felt a lot bigger than he remembered. Unfortunately, a kid from his team had died due to a heart attack from too much running and not enough eating. But his bed was free, so Jack was able to use it. He didn't sleep much be cause he feared that he would sleep in and get punched again, so he slept as early as he could. He also has the 11 boys to wake him up, so he didn't worry too much.

Jubari was more of the problem, as always. He claims that Jack is challenging him in leadership. ' _He's taking this team Wolf thing too literally. We aren't really wolves!'_ Jack thought. It was true, Jubari acted as if he was the alpha, and as if Jack was the omega, the worst rank of the wolf pack.

The first couple of months went by quickly. No one used guns yet, which disappointed everyone, for they have been promised to m use them at the fourth  _week._ They were doing field exercises then, such as sneaking and CQC (close quarters combat), which Jack  was  _excelling_ at. Because of his hieght, Jack had the advantage of sneaking. CQC was more of a challlege, but he managed. On one sneaking mission, everyone had to  _steal_ food from the nearby villages. But if they got caught, the soldiers would pretend that they never knew it would happen and being the death out of the child.

Luckily, that never happened to Jack. He would always pull the child act whenever he would get caught. He would pretend he was poor and hug the man or woman who was pursuing him, giving a friendly vibe. Therefor, the consquence wouldn't be as harsh. Unfortunately, that gave him the name, "Angel" a strong meaning- and right when it was about to die out. He was called Angel to others, but the name Jack was called by friends.

Jack never saw George once. He wondered what had happened to him. Did he abandon him? Whatever the reason was, his words still remained fresh inside his mind. ' _Avenge your parent's  death,'_ he would always say.That quote has made his motivation burn on like  a strong fire.

After six moths, everyone was assigned guns. They were ASP handguns from the U.S. Everyone did target practice and  short range shooting. Jack was very good with guns. It just came natural to him. He shot multiple targets and he was quick at it too, earning major approval ratings from the trainers.  _'If only George was here,'_ he sighed, ' _then I could show him how well I have been improving.'_

Two children from other teams shot themselves by accident or suicide, which made everyone suffer. Whenever a kid would threaten to kill them self or if someone did, gun practice was restricted for a  _week._

The food rationing became more strict. Every time you fail, then you wouldn't eat for two days. However, if you did really well, which Jack did, you would recieve twice the food portion.

A year finally past... but it was the worst day of them all.

"Line up, boys!" Kamsen commanded. 

Every team hustled and lined up in rows of five outside in the battle training   grounds. During the year, the whole army had moved towards a village that they had successfully attacked. There were more rooms and areas to train at. The training area that they were in was covered by a large tent that was formerly  used for circus acts. The surroundings outside were guarded with barbed wire so that no one could as sinatra a child without dealing with the security. Inside the tent hung three stage lights that lit up the center, but made dark and everlasting  shadows in the corners and sides that had no light.

Everyone stood in order, waiting for the next instructions, while some were dragging there toes in the sand. Kamsen stood their along with most of the soldiers. Why were there so many? What is going on?

"Congratulations, young troops. You have past one year of training and learning about basic survival." He announced with pride. Was it really pride, or was it the pleasure of smacking  kids around with his fist?

"However," he continued, starting to act serious, "the rules have change about the Small Boy Unit picking."

A wave  of panic filled the air. What did he mean by "change"? Had Jack been training  for nothing?

"Shut up!" A soldier shouted, forcing an immediate  hush on the children. Zuberi  stepped up and signaled the soldier to step back.

"We are expecting  a visitor today," he announced. "And he will--"

" _I will be deciding on who fights alongside me."_

A large gasp erupted from everyone, including Jack. The man who walked through the tent was tall and muscular. He had chocolate  brown hair and olive green eyes filled with boldness and pride. He had a shaved beard and a broad face. 

Everyone stood still and didn't even speak as the man pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards, allowing him to lean foward on the back of the chair. No one dared to speak, but Jack, however, managed to break the silence.

"George..." He breathed. The man chuckled lightly yet heartwarmly at the boy. 

"Don't get too excited yet,  _Angel."_ Solidus stated, calling him that name purpose. Even after just sitting down, he stood up and walked slowly in front of the child sarmy. "Do any of you kiddies here know what happens if I just picked a team that was the most successful?" He asked in a friendly mannor. Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Well, if I did that, then I would probably have a couple of members in the team that are just  _dead weight._ "

He pointed at the first row. "Team Falcon. You are known for scouting. You have some of the best scouts. However, Team Viper has some of the fastest members- and I need  _both._ " 

He continued to judge the other teams, one by one, comparing one another. "I have created the teams role not for deciding  who is the best, but what qualities go well  together. Team Dragon. You have had... a couple of mess ups, as usual," the Dragon members were looking at Tortoise, who was blushing with hot embarrassment. 

 Jack had now understood the Dragon members. They were children from the  _years before_ who had never succeeded at that time. And their new name was given for their reason why they couldn't pass.  _Tortoise was a slow runner, and couldn't beat any of the races, so he had to stay back._

"But nonetheless were the strongest," he stated. He then looked over to where Jack and his team members were. "Team Wolf has shown the most improvement. The youngest member, Jack, has out ranked most of every team in combat and intelligence. The team has also shown great teamwork and problem solving strategies, which is the perfect skill for the SBU position. But if I just have the team, then I get no fast or strong people. And that is why I will solve the problem by doing this:" He pulled out two pocket knives and raised them high in the air, giving a lot of head looking up.

"These are the tools that will grant you power.And the tools that will either save you or kill you in this next session." The children were all gasping in fright. What did he mean by survivng? Was Jack going to die?

"We'll start with the two weakest members who have the lowest scores- Carl and Dan." _'Carl!' Jack panicked, 'What is going to happen to him?'_

Solidus beckoned the two boys over and gave them each a pocket knife. Carl looked a little confused, but Dan, on the other hand, had the knife trembling in his hand. His eyes flickered around his surrounding and on the soldiers, hoping if one of them would call out that it was a joke or test- but no one budged. Solidus pat both of his hands onto the two boys' heads as if everything was going to be alright.  _But it wasn't... cause they are about kill._

"Now the problem with choosing the team would be what do to with the other children. So I realized that they'd better be off  _dead_ instead of fighting for nothing. I mean, if you couldn't pass the test, then how are you going to prove worthy of fighting in war?"

A nervous energy flooded the area. The children had to kill each other! Jack was shocked the most. He had always known that George was a little violent... but this... this was  _madness!_

It has been ten minutes of the two boys just staring at each other, waiting for the next move. They were both too terrified to walk or hold the blades properly. All they did was stare in each others eyes, seeing the fear that crawls within.

"You don't have too kill each other, I just said tha--"

Before Solidus could finish, Dan made the first strike, after having the pressure get to him. He made a loud roar to show that he wasn't weak, but it was his moves that judged him. He lunged at Carl, who dodied the attack and slashed Dan's side. The boy yelped and backed away, touching his side, only to reveal blood. Having the fear now controlling him, he screeched and charged at his opponent, only having Carl twist in the other direction again... but Dan was prepared this time. He jerk ed his right fight into the boy's stomach, causing him to fall to the floor and cringe. Dan held the knife firmly in his hand and aimed it at Carl's stomach.

"N-no... please!" He pleaded, but Dan just sniffled and had tears running down his face. He didn't want to do it, but what choice did he have? 

Before he struck down, Carl swerved his left foot underneath Dan's ankles, cause him to fall down as well. Without warning, Carl dug his knife deep into Dan's chest, while the boy stabbed Carl's stomach in return. They were both staring at each other with mad fear in their eyes to see who would die first, but they knew the answer-  _they both failed the test._ As they were screaming in agony and calling for help, no one oved. Instead, the children were frozen and stared in horror. They had never seen two children killing before, let alone their friends! 

Jack's heart raced so fast that it felt like it was about to stop at any moment. In his mind, it was screaming at him to run away and to get as far as he can away from this place. But his body disobeyed  and froze. 

As the boys fell dead from blood loss, George shook his head in disappointment and frowned at the crowd. " _This is what happens when you don't follow directions correctly. I said that they **didn't** have to kill each other. But the fear had clouded their minds so thickly, that they suffocated in their own madness and died along with it."_

Everyone's eyes were still on the two boys who had just died. The adults, however, didn't respond. It was as if they were  _used_ to it. Just what kind of war were they getting in to?

Solidus picked up the bloody knives and handed one to Jack, giving him an encouraging grin. "It's time to grow up, boy." He smiled cruely. Jack took the blade, not knowing what else he should do. George push him towards the center.

"So, I heard that the 'Angel' you speak of has been a major success in training. Am I correct?"

No one replied.

" _Am I correct?"_

A loud response of "yes sir" filled the tent, making Jack nervous.

"Well, then," Solidus chuckled in delight. But to Jack, it felt as if  a snake was crawling up his back. "Then I guess that he will make it into the SBU, obviously. But, I wonder..." He playfully tossed the knife in the air and caught it, slowly gesturing it across the crowd. "Will you accept that? That a  _child,_ no more than five, has beaten you and will now join my powerful army? Who will challenge him? Did he cheat? Who wants to test the truth?"

What was George doing? Was he trying to get someone to kill Jack? He waved the knife around, trying to temp the children. The fresh blood had dried and made the blade look crimson under the light, giving it a powerful look. Jack expected to see Jubari step up, but instead, he saw Jubari standing still, eyes still staring at the bodies with horror.

"I'll do it."

Solidus smiled evily and handed the knife to the guy who challenged him. Jack was shocked once he saw who was up for the task to try to kill him. But he should have known all along. The guy who hated him from the race, the one who sabotaged his team too many times. The one who was called a failure...

 

 

  _Tortoise._

 

 

 

 


	11. White Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I wanted to avoid a super long story, I have decided that this will be the as chapter to the story.  
> I also wanted to do that because I feel like I now have a little more experience with the writing and I want to make another. Don't worry, the next story will continue this one, but I will add more interesting things.  
> Hope you enjoy :)

 

Jack dropped the blade onto the bloodstained floor. He slowly backed away. "No, I don't want to do this." He wimpered softly. His eyes dilated a bit and his skin prickled. 

Solidus frowned in disapproval. He grabbed Tortoise's shirt and dragged him towards the center. "Jack," he said, "So you're saying, that you would rather  die than kill? Have you lost your mind? Didn't anyone teach you that survival is madatory?"

The boy shook his head slowly. He didn't know this man. He wasn't George. He wasn't the man who cared for him. Unless--

"I rescued you, Jack!" Solidus shouted, frightening  everyone in the area. His green eyes burned with fury. "I saved you from god knows what was out there! You would have died without me!"

"Then what will be the difference if I die here?!"

"Boy, you better watch your tone-"

"I don't care!" Jack shouted, almost at the brink of tears. There was no motion around the two. All of the soldiers and children were silenced. The Boss and his son were fighting right now.

"You wouldn't care for me anyway! All you do is brainwash us to fight your own wars! Talking about revenge, talking about enemies, talking abou--"

"That's enough!" Solidus raised his hand to signal him to stop. It was over now. He can't put on the fathery  act on anymore, now that Jack knows the truth. "Pick up the blade,  _now."_ He ordered sternly. Jack obeyed and grabbed the knife slowly. Once he had it in his hand, George grabbed one of the guns that the children were assigned  from off the table. He aimed it at Jack's  head.

"Either you fight, or I shoot you in the goddamn  head." He threatened coldly. Jack shut his eyes for a moment. He really had to do this, no going back now. Once he opened his eyes and made his choice, he nodded slightly enough to confirm what he had to do. Solidus stepped back and signaled Tortoise  to attack, which was the command that he had waited for all his life.

He lunged at Jack, emitting a battle cry that sounded frightening. The children were told to cheer the fighters on. Most cheered for Jack, which helped him a lot.Tortoise  was so clouded by anger, his moves were just clumsy swipes that could have hit anything. The boy was staggering, which gave Jack the advantage. As soon as Tortoise swung his left arm at him, Jack grabbed it and made a cut on his armpit, slicing an artery which made the arm limp.

Soon enough, the adults were cheering on along with the children, and every strike that was made caused a huge rush of excitement from the audience.

After he made the big slice, it was hard make any more effective attacks on his opponent. Tortoise  would now start kicking Jack. And since he had longer legs and arms, it was easy to do so. The fight didn't last much longer right when Jack's knife was snatched by one of the Dragon members. He was holding Jack while Tortoise was about to make the lunge. "Stop it!" Jack shouted. "This isn't fair!"

"Oh, but war is never fair, Little Angel." Solidus scoffed. He spat out the name as if it were poison.

A laugh ran though the audience, mocking Jack's nickname. He had been mocked his whole life. From the very time he joined this place to this day. He heard  the voices behing his back on how weak and stupid he was. He was bullied a lot during the year, which nm add him study CQC harder. He was alone at times, and those time were more comforting than being with his teammates, who are always calling him Angel Boy and baby.

Well, not anymore...

As Tortoise  lunged for the kill, Jack swerved off to the side and move out of the way, havin the Dragon member get stabbed instead. Tortoise immediately  back off, leaving the knife in the dying child who was coughing up chunks of blood. He didn't know what to say... sorry? He was to petrified... he killed his own teammate! What a old happen to him now? What if--

 

**BANG!**

 

The sound echoed the tent. Tortoise opened his eyes ... and saw a bullet hole through the boy's  head. The dead child fell over, blood pooling from underneath. Everyone looked at who fired the shot.

It was Jack. Jack shot the boy.

Tortoise  stared in horror at the young boy. "W... why? Why di-- *urk!*"

A quick slash appeared, slicing his throat. Blood seeped out and made the Dragon member choke. Blood was spat out of his mouth and spring through his slit throat. He attempted to cover his open wound and reach at Jack, who was staring at him coldly.

Jack felt an unwelcoming cold flood through his veins and his blood froze. He- he killed someone.the knife was dripping blood including his hand  as well. Unable to stand seeing Tortoise  suffer any longer, he pulled out the gun and shot his forehead.the corpse stopped moving as blood continued to seep through.

He was lucky that he grabbed the gun from the dead child as he escaped the hold, but to use it on someone... it felt  _powerful._

Seeing the Dragon  members slowly pull out their knives, Jack's mind triggered and he shot every single team member in the forehead without hesitation. He dropped the gun and stood there, then turning his head towards Solidus. "The Dragons are now extinct. Now you won't have to worry about who's being in the Small Boy Unit anymore.

Solidus stared at the boy's eyes for a moment. There wasn't any happiness or motivation in there, no. Instead, it was showing an empty space.  _Perfect,_ he thought.

"D-devil! The boy is a devil!" One of the children screamed horrified.

The children all grouped together and backed away from Jack. The adults, however, began to clap one by one. The boy was confused. Hadn't he just kill like seven to twelve people today? Why was he rewarded?

Solidus smiled happily. Jack finally done it! He is now a killer! He patted the kid's head cheerfully. "You did good...  _white devil."_

 _White Devil,_ Jack wondered, It had  seem to suit him some how. I certainly  sounded cool- and way better than Angel. White Devil it is.

"Thanks you White Devil here, you can all join now since he killed for you," Solidus announced. None of the children looked excited. The five year old was a murderer, and a good one too.

George brought Jack up to the front of the tent and announced loudly, "Attention troops! Welcome the new leader of the Small Boy Unit, Jack! From this day on, his new nickname will no longer be Angel, for it has she'd it's with and shown what it truly was, White Devil!"

A few children and all of the adults cheered and clapped. The rest were scared. The silent boy who was wise and talked about duty... where did he go?

 

 

\-----------------------------------

 

"That's enough story time, Snake."

"Kid, don't stop now!"

"Snake, please, no more."

Raiden had been ordering three cups of coffee to kept his emotional level balanced (and it kept him from hallucinating  his past).

He called John over and carried him on his back. As they left the coffee shop, they headed towards a white apartment building. It looked fairly in a well state, compare to all of the other apartments. Their room was on the first floor. As Raiden opened the door and entered inside with John and Snake, an aroma of food filled the house, as if welcoming the boys. 

"Dad it smells good in here!" John breathed, then kicking his legs a bit signaling to get down. Once he was on the floor he dashed towards the kitchen , meeting his mom.

"Hey, baby! How was the park?"Rose picked up her son and kissed his chubby cheeks so much until John was hardly breathing from all of the tickling. Rose put John down and greeted her husband with a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I made dinner. And it's actually good!" This caught Raiden by surprise. Rose  can cook now? He had to try this. He playfully flicked his wife's nose and chuckled. 

"I'll be the judge of that. And Snake will too."

"Snake?" Rose asked. She looked behind  him and only saw the door. No one was there.

"Um, Jack? No one is here."

"What?" Raiden broke from the embrace to scan the area.  _Snake was gone. He must have left as soon as John ran into the kitchen._

"But- I- he... nevermind" he sighed in defeat. Looks like Snake really didn't want anyone to know he was around. He picked up Rose, which was reacted by a sudden yelp, then carried her into the kitchen. He set her down to grab the spoon and dip it into the soup. Once he had it out, John and Raiden both gave nervous glances at each other.

"Bottoms up, kid."

"No way, dad! I'm not eating that! I'm a growing child, not a lab rat!"

"But I'm a cyborg! If this is bad then my circuts would short out--"

"Just eat the soup!" Snapped Rose, making Raiden shove he spoon in his mouth. He assumed the worst. The aftertaste would either be burnt, or too salty. But actually, it tasted  _pretty good._ Raiden quickly grabbed two bowls and poured as much soup in their as possible.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Hurry, John! Your mom won't ever make good food like this again! This is a once in a lifetime  experience!" He handed to bowl to his son, who tried the soup, and took another spoonfull. Clearly, he liked the soup. Rose retorted at her family. "Oh, come on! I just took cooking class! Have  _some_ mercy on me!"

The family laughed. Ah, these were the memories that Raiden tried to keep  and try to make everlasting.Snake was right, Raiden was lucky. He survived his childhood, met rose, started a family, saved millions, and made right. He has Rose and John to look after now...

 

But how long will it last, until Jack the Ripper rises again?

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Also, please note that I am using my tablet to write this so grammar and spelling is possible. By the way, English is not my first language, so sorry if the story sounds a little weird.


End file.
